Roadrunner Records are proud to announce the addition of Dante Bonutto & Derek Oliver to their international A&R team.
In the last two years, Roadrunner Records has not only been signing bands in the US, but internationally, having recently picked up artists such as Satyricon, Shadows Fall, Dragonforce and Within Temptation for global and territory-specific deals. Derek and Dante join the team to expand that signing activity even further.
The pair, who will be based in Roadrunner's London office at Ealing Studios, are set to bring classic artists to the label; 'heritage' rock acts with a loyal fanbase, a catalogue of respected releases and an established international profile. These acts will be signed to Roadrunner for both brand new studio recordings & DVDs.
Collectively & individually, Dante & Derek have a wealth of music industry experience, first as rock journalists in the 1980s and then on the marketing/A&R sides at record companies both here and in the USA, where they worked with artists such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Bad Company & Yes. In 2003, the pair formed Rock Candy Records, enabling them to unearth, repackage & re-issue deleted or hard-to-find gems from the annals of rock; at the same time, they launched the Grind That Axe label & publishing company, as a way of recording & licensing albums from contemporary rock acts.
Dante Bonutto has had his fingers in a myriad of rock pies. After a number of years in the upper ranks of the UK's rock titles (Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, RAW) plus various stints presenting rock & metal shows for UK radio & television, Dante settled into an A&R role at East West Records in London. More recently, he has been working as an A&R & Marketing Consultant at Universal Music International, helping to expand the careers of bands such as Rammstein & Rob Zombie. Dante also manages UK metalheads, SikTh and (along with Derek) producer Dan Turner.